NMITA Data Dictionary

An associative entity used for linking taxonomic units (genus, subgenus, species)
to locality and stratigraphic information.

FAMILY

A higher taxonomic category to which a genus has been assigned. This entity
involves a recursive loop, which allows for inclusion of taxa at the family,
subfamily, and tribe level. Family, subfamily,and tribe names are formal latinized
scientific names.

FAMILYMORPH

An associative entity containing states of morphologic characters that can be
used to distinguish a family.

GENMORPH

An associative entity containing statesof morphologic characters that can be
used to describe a genus.

GENUS

A genus consists of a group of species, and is formally named following a code
of biological nomenclature. Type species are the species designated in the original
genus description as the name-bearer. All taxa in NMITA have genus names. However,
not all taxa in NMITA have subgenus and/or species names.

The exact location in which specimens of a particular taxon (genus, subgenus,
species) have been collected. Localities occur within stratigraphic units, and
are assigned locality numbers.

MORPHGLOSSARY

Morphologic features, which distinguishm taxonomic units (family, genus, species)
and are commonly used in identification. Each character has two or more states.

SPECIES

A species is the fundamental unit of evolution. Species are named following
a code of biological nomenclature. Species names are followed by the name of the
person(s), who published the original species description (author), plus the year of
publication (date). Type specimens are the specimen(s) designated in the
original species descriptions as name-bearers, and have associated locality information.
Only holotypes are recorded in NMITA. Not all taxa in NMITA are identified
to species.

SPMORPHOL

An associative entity containing states of morphologic characters that can be
used to describe a species.

STRAT

Assignment of a geologic age range to a stratigraphic unit. Ages may consist
of: (1) ages in the global chronostratigraphic time scale (e.g. epochs), (2) interpreted
chronostratigraphic ages in millions of years, (3) voucher ages provided by
calcareous nannoplankton zones. Geologic ages and their correlations are based
on Berggren et al. (1995). All ages are recorded as a range (i.e., minimum to
maximum).

STRATORD

The relative ordering of chronostratigraphic ages (epochs and subepochs) from oldest
to youngest following the time scale of Berggren et al (1995).

SUBGENUS

A subdivision of a genus. Not all of the taxa in the NMITA are assigned to
subgenera.

SUBSPECIES

A subdivision of a species. Not all of the taxa in the NMITA are assigned
to species.

Inclusion of the unit in the cc97 occurrence
database (0=not included; 1=included).

No

No

CHAR(10)

CCD_NO

The specimen number that has been assigned
to the specimen in the CCD (Cenozoic
Coral Database).

No

No

CHAR(10)

CHAR_GRP

The name of the general category of
morphologic features to which a morphologic
character belongs.

No

No

CHAR(35)

CHAR_STATE_CODE

The code for a state of a morphologic
character. Morphologic characters are
subdivided into two or more exclusive
character states.

Yes

Yes

CHAR(10)

CHAR_STATE_NAME

The name for a state of a morphologic
character.Morphologic characters are
subdivided into two or more exclusive
character states.

No

No

CHAR(35)

CITED_AUTHOR_NM

For previously published photographs:
The surname of the author of the publication.

No

No

CHAR(90)

CITED_PLATE_NO

For previously published photographs:
The plate and/or figure number of the
photograph in the publication. Plate
numbers should be preceded by "Pl." and
figure numbers by "Fig.".

No

No

CHAR(50)

CITED_YEAR_AU

For previously published photographs:
The year that the publication was published.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

COLL_EV_SAM_NAME

The name assigned to a locality.

No

No

CHAR(35)

COLL_EV_SAM_NO

A locality number referring to a specific
locality or site at which a sample was
collected. Panama Paleontology Project
locality numbers begin with "PPP". Naturhistorisches
Museum Basel locality numbers begin with
"NMB".

Yes

No

CHAR(25)

COUNTRY_NAME

Name of the country (or state in the
U.S.) in which a group of samples (=faunule)
was collected.

No

No

CHAR(50)

COUNTRY_REGION

Portion of the country in which the
group of samples (=faunule) was collected.

No

No

CHAR(50)

DIAGNOSTIC

A code (Yes, No) indicating whether
the morphologic character is diagnostic
for the species.

No

No

CHAR(5)

DISTRIB_ID

A unique number assigned to the occurrence
of a taxon (genus, subgenus, species)
at a specific locality.

Yes

No

NUMBER

ELEV_UNITS

The units used in the stratigraphic
section (STRAT_SECTION) (e.g., feet,
meters).

The name of the author(s) who formally
described and named the "family". Last
name only.

No

No

CHAR(90)

FAM_ORDER

A number indicating the relative position
that a "family" is listed on a web page.

No

No

CHAR(3)

FAM_YEAR_AU

The year in which the formal desciption
of the family was published.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

FAMILY

A "family" is a formal latinized name
(uninomial, plural) of a higher taxon,
established following a code of nomenclature.
The name is derived from the name of
the type genus, and spelled with a capital
letter.
Valid levels include (from highest to
lowest):
Family (-idae)
Subfamily (-inae)
Tribe (-ina)

Yes

Yes

CHAR(35)

FAMILY_HIERARCHY

The formal latinized name of the "family"
in the next higher level of the taxonomic
hierarchy to which a "family" belongs.
This field is left blank if FAMILY_TYPE_CD=F

Name of the Formation to which the stratigraphic
unit has been assigned. Formations are
formally named and defined following
the International Stratigraphic Code.

No

No

CHAR(50)

GEN_AUTHOR_NM

The surname of the person(s) who originally
described a given genus.

No

No

CHAR(90)

GEN_DIAGNOSTIC

A code (Yes, No) indicating whether
the morphologic character is diagnostic
for the genus.

No

No

CHAR(5)

GEN_ORDER

Genus order is a number used for listing
genera on a web page.

No

No

NUMBER(3)

GEN_WEB_PAGE

The url for the genus page of a given
genus in NMITA.

No

No

CHAR(90)

GEN_YEAR_AU

The year in which the original description
of a genus was published.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

GENU_ILLUS_FILE

The filename for the thumbnail image
selected to represent a given genus.
Thumbnail images are ~ 150 x 150 pixels.

No

No

CHAR(35)

GENUS_NAME

A genus is a formal latinized name (singular,
uninomial, spelled with a capital letter,
italized), established following a code
of nomenclature. The name is unique within
the kingdom. Although latinized, endings
are variable and vary in gender. All
taxa in NMITA have genus names. However,
not all taxa in NMITA have subgenus and
species names.

Yes

Yes

CHAR(35)

HIGH_ELEV

The highest elevation of the stratigraphic
unit shown in the stratigraphic section
(STRAT_SECTION).

No

No

NUMBER(10)

HOLO_MUS_CAT_NO

The catalog number that has been assigned
to the holotype by the museum.

No

No

CHAR(30)

HOLO_REPOS_ABBR

The abbreviation for the museum in which
the holotype is deposited.
Abbreviations include:
AMNH= American Museum of Natural History
BMNH= The Natural History Museum in London
NMB= Naturhistorisches Museum Basel
YPM= Yale Peabody Museum
USNM= US National Museum of Natural
History

No

No

CHAR(15)

ICA_BOTTOM

Oldest absolute age date that has been
assigned to a stratigraphic unit.

No

No

NUMBER(10)

ICA_TOP

Youngest absolute age date that has
been assigned to a stratigraphic unit.

No

No

NUMBER(10)

ICA_UNITS

Time intervals used to measure absolute
time in either millions (Ma) or thousands
(Ka) of years.

The orientation of a specimen shown
in an image. For bivalves, the type of
valve (right, left, both). For gastropods,
the orientation of the aperture (apertural,
side, etc). For corals, colony vs calice;
transverse vs longitudinal cuts.

No

No

CHAR(30)

ILLUS_VIEW2

More detailed specifications regarding
specimen orientation.

No

No

CHAR(30)

IMAGE_REMARKS

Special remarks regarding the specimen
shown in an image that are not covered
in other fields.

No

No

VARCHAR2()

LATITUDE

Latitude (in degrees, minutes, seconds)
in which a group of samples (=faunule)
was collected. North is assumed.

No

No

CHAR(15)

LOCALITY_NAME

Name of city, river, or geographic area
in which a group of samples (=faunule)
was collected.

No

No

CHAR(50)

LONGITUDE

Longitude (in degrees, minutes, seconds,
direction) in which a group of samples
(=faunule) was collected. West is assumed.

No

No

CHAR(15)

LOW_ELEV

The lowest elevation of the stratigraphic
unit shown in the stratigraphic section
(STRAT_SECTION).

No

No

NUMBER(10)

MORPH_CHAR_ABBR

An abbreviation for a morphologic character.

Yes

Yes

CHAR(10)

MORPH_CHAR_NAME

The name of a morphologic character.
Morphologic characters are subdivided
into two or more exclusive character
states.

No

No

CHAR(35)

MORPH_ORDER

A number indicating the relative position
that a morphologic character is listed
on a web page. This field allows morphologic
characters to be listed on web pages
in a consistent order. The number is
unique for a morphologic character. States
of the same morphologic character are
assigned the same number.

No

No

CHAR(5)

MORPH_WEB_PAGE

The url for the web page defining a
morphologic character and its states.

No

No

CHAR(35)

MUS_CAT_NO

The catalog number that has been assigned
to the specimen in the photograph by
the museum.

No

No

CHAR(30)

NANNOZONE_BOTTOM

Oldest calcareous nannoplankton zone
(Martini, 1971) to which a stratigraphic
unit has been assigned.

No

No

CHAR(10)

NANNOZONE_TOP

Youngest calcareous nannoplankton zone
(Martini, 1971) to which a stratigraphic
unit has been assigned.

No

No

CHAR(10)

ORIG_GENUS

A code indicating whether the original
genus name differs from the genus name
used in NMITA. 0=not original, 1=original,
2= not applicable. If the original genus
name differs from the name used in NMITA,
the author and date of a species are
indicated in parentheses.

No

No

CHAR(2)

ORIG_GENUS_NAME

The genus name used in the original
desciption of a species. Note: if the
original genus name differs from the
genus name used in NMITA, the author
and date of a species are indicated in
parentheses.

No

No

CHAR(35)

OTHER_SPEC_NO

Any additional specimen numbers that
have been assigned to a specimen.

No

No

CHAR(15

PAGE_TITLE

The header used on the species page.

No

No

CHAR(90)

PHOTO_COPYRIGHT

Some images are copyrighted by original
contributors and/or institutions. This
field contains the names of individuals
and/or institutions who hold the copyright,
and the copyright date.

No

No

CHAR(90)

PUBLISH_READY

A code indicating whether the information
about a given genus is ready for dessiminating
on NMITA. NULL=yes, 0=no.

No

No

CHAR(5)

REGION

Region of the Caribbean Sea in which
the set of samples (=faunule) was collected.

No

No

CHAR(50)

REPOS_ABBR

The abbreviation for the museum in which
the holotype is deposited.
Abbreviations include:
AMNH= American Museum of Natural History
BMNH= The Natural History Museum in London
NMB= Naturhistorisches Museum Basel
YPM= Yale Peabody Museum
USNM= US National Museum of Natural
History

No

No

CHAR(15)

ROLL_NO

Roll (and sometimes frame) numbers for
original photographs that are used to
create images.

No

No

CHAR(3)

SCALE

The length of the scale bar (metric)
in an image. Numbers should be followed
by the unit of measure (e.g., "mm").

No

No

CHAR(25)

SOURCE

A citation or reference for the occurrence.

No

No

CHAR(90)

SP_EPITHET

A species epithet is used for species
that have not been formally assigned
names or whose names are uncertain. Examples
of epithets are: cf., aff., ?, sp. Usage
follows: BENGSTON, P. 1988. Open nomenclature.
Palaeontology, 31:223-227. Species epithets
are optional.

Yes

Yes

CHAR(35)

SP_ILLUS_FILE

The filename for the thumbnail image
selected to represent a given species.
Thumbnail images are ~ 150 x 150 pixels.

No

No

CHAR(35)

SP_ORDER

Species order is a number used for organizing
a list of species on a web page.

No

No

NUMBER(3)

SP_WEB_PAGE

The url for the species page of a given
species in NMITA.

No

No

CHAR(90)

SPECIES_AUTHOR_NAME

The surname of the person(s) who originally
described a species.

No

No

CHAR(90)

SPECIES_NAME

A species is a formal latinized name
(singular, uninomial, spelled with a
lower case letter, italized), established
following a code of nomenclature. The
name is unique within the genus, and
is used together with the genus name
in the form of a binomen to refer to
a species. Typically genus names are
nouns whereas species names are adjectives
or qualifiers. Although latinized, endings
are variable and agree in gender with
the genus name. All taxa in NMITA have
genus names. However, not all taxa in
NMITA have subgenus and species names.

Yes

Yes

CHAR(35)

SPECIES_RES_NO

A species research number is a reference
number assigned by a researcher to a
given species in analyses of biodiversity
through geologic time or in community
analyses.

No

No

CHAR(10)

SPECIES_TOTAL

The total number of species of a given
genus in NMITA.

No

No

CHAR(3)

SPECIES_YEAR_AU

The year in which the original species
description was published.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

STRAT_ELEV

The elevation of a locality within a
stratigraphic section (i.e., STRAT_SECTION
in STRAT).

No

No

CHAR(10)

STRAT_ORD

A number indicating the relative position
in the geologic time scale. This field
allows the ages of occurrences to be
listed on web pages in chronostratigraphic
order. Entries in this field are unique.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

STRAT_SECTION

Name or abbreviation referring to the
stratigraphic section in which the stratigraphic
unit is located. Where applicable, this
name or abbreviation should be one assigned
by a collecting project or museum.

No

No

CHAR(90)

STRAT_UNIT_ABBR

Abbreviation for a stratigraphic unit.

No

No

CHAR(10)

STRAT_UNIT_ID

Identification number for a stratigraphic
unit (or faunule) in cc97 occurrence
database.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

STRAT_UNIT_NAME

Name used to refer to a stratigraphic
unit (sometimes refered to as a "faunule").
A stratigraphic unit consists of a group
of localities from the same geographic
area, having the same geologic age.

Yes

No

CHAR(25)

STRAT_UNITS

The units in which the elevation of
a locality on a stratigraphic section
was recorded.

No

No

CHAR(4)

SUB_EPOCH_NAME_BOTTOM

Portion of the oldest Epoch assigned
to a stratigraphic unit. Valid sub-epochs
include:
For Paleocene: late.
For Eocene: early, middle, late.
For Oligocene: early, late.
For Miocene: early, middle, late.
For Pliocene: early, late.
For Pleistocene: early, middle, late.
If no subepoch is known, then the name
of the Epoch is entered. No sub-epochs
should be given for Holocene and Recent.

Yes

No

CHAR(40)

SUB_EPOCH_NAME_TOP

Portion of the youngest Epoch assigned
to a stratigraphic unit. Valid sub-epochs
include:
For Paleocene: late.
For Eocene: early, middle, late.
For Oligocene: early, late.
For Miocene: early, middle, late.
For Pliocene: early, late.
For Pleistocene: early, middle, late.
If no subepoch is known, then the name
of the Epoch is entered. No sub-epochs
should be given for Holocene and Recent.

Yes

No

CHAR(40)

SUB_FORMATION_NAME

Portion of the Formation to which the
stratigraphic unit has been assigned.
Valid entried are: Lower, Middle, Upper.

No

No

CHAR(50)

SUB_G_AUTHOR_NM

The surname of the person(s) who originally
described a subgenus.

No

No

CHAR(90)

SUB_G_ORDER

Subgenus order is a number used for
organizing a list of subgenera on a web
page.

No

No

NUMBER(3)

SUB_G_YEAR_AUTH

The year in which the original description
of a subgenus was published.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

SUB_S_AUTHOR_NM

The surname of the person(s) who originally
described a given subspecies.

No

No

CHAR(90)

SUB_S_ORDER

Subspecies order is a number used for
listing subspecies on a web page.

No

No

NUMBER(4)

SUB_S_YEAR_AU

The year in which the original description
of a given subspecies was published.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

SUBGENUS_NAME

A subgenus is a taxonomic category between
genus and species. Like a genus, a subgenus
is a formal latinized name (singular,
uninomial, spelled with a capital letter).
A subgenus name is always used in conjunction
with a genus name; it is placed in parentheses
after the genus name.

Yes

Yes

CHAR(35)

SUBSPECIES_NAME

A subspecies is a taxonomic category
below the species level. Like a species,
a subspecies is a formal latinized name
(singular, spelled with a lower case
letter). A subspecies name is a trinomial
and always used in conjunction with a
species name; it is placed after the
species name.

Yes

No

CHAR(35)

SY_COLL_EV_SAM_NO

Other numbers assigned to the same locality.

No

No

CHAR(25)

SY_GENUS_AUTHOR_NM

The surname of the person(s) who originally
described a genus that has been placed
in synonymy.

No

No

CHAR(90)

SY_GENUS_NAME

A different genus name, which has been
used for the same genus.

Yes

No

CHAR(35)

SY_GENUS_YEAR_AU

The year in which the original description
of a synonymous genus was published.

No

No

NUMBER(5)

SY_SP_GENUS_NAME

The name of the genus to which the synonymous
species has been assigned.

Yes

No

CHAR(35)

SY_SPECIES

A different species name, which has
been used for the same species.

Yes

No

CHAR(35)

SY_SPECIES_AUTHOR_NM

The surname of the person(s) who originally
described a species that has been placed
in synonymy.

No

No

CHAR(90)

SY_SPECIES_YEAR_AU

The year in which the original description
of a synonymous species was published.